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New plan to repair street still leaves residents with half the tab

Omaha Residents watched the city tear up 113th Street, north of Pacific Street, and then leave it for a year.

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Updated: 10:25 PM CDT Sep 29, 2015

New plan to repair street still leaves residents with half the tab

Omaha Residents watched the city tear up 113th Street, north of Pacific Street, and then leave it for a year.

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Updated: 10:25 PM CDT Sep 29, 2015

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WEBVTT GRATITUDE EXPRESSED TONIGHT. REPORTING LIVE DOWNTOWN KRISTYNA , ENGDAHL, KETV NEWSWATCH 7. ROB: A LONG ROAD TO REPAIRS IN A NORTHWEST OMAHA NEIGHBORHOOD, WITH A STREET STILL A MESS ONE YEAR AFTER CITY CREWS TORE IT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 113TH NOW, THERE'S A NEW PLAN TO GET THE JOB DONE. BUT WHY DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE TO PICK UP HALF THE TAB? KETV NEWSWATCH 7'S MELISSA FRY EXPLAINS. MELISSA FRY: IF THEY WANTED TO LIVE ON A DIRT ROAD, THEY WOULD HAVE MOVED TO THE COUNTRY. BUT ONE YEAR AFTER MOVING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD -- MELISSA: I CAME OUT WITH THE KIDS ONE DAY, AND THEY WERE TEARING UP THE STREET, TEARING UP THE ASPHALT. MELISSA FRY: THAT WAS LAST OCTOBER, JUST NORTH OF 113TH AND PACIFIC. IT DIDN'T SIT WELL WITH NEIGHBORS. AND THEY MADE THEIR MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR. JOE: THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THERE WAS NO NOTICE, NO LETTER, NO CALL. MELISSA FRY: THE ROAD WAS ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED DECADES AGO AND IS NOT UP TO CODE. THERE ARE 30 OTHER UNIMPROVED STREETS IN OMAHA LIKE THIS THAT THE CITY WILL NO LONGER MAINTAIN. MOVING FORWARD, THE CITY NOW GIVES HOMEOWNERS A CHOICE. DO THEY WANT TO PAY TO GET A NEW SURFACE, OR LEAVE THE STREET AS IS? THE CITY ADMITS THESE HOMEOWNERS HAD NO IDEA. TODD: THIS PROCESS OF RECLAIMING STREETS IS RELATIVELY NEW. AND IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA, WHETHER THROUGH OVERSIGHT OR DECISION, THEY WERE NOT NOTIFIED IN A TIMELY FASHION TO GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO HAVE INPUT ON WHAT HAPPENED. MELISSA FRY: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? A NEW STREET. OMAHA'S CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO APPROVE PAYING FOR HALF THE COST OF THE CONSTRUCTION. MELISSA: I'M NOT A HUGE FAN OF WE'LL GO HALVES, BECAUSE WE WEREN'T UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT WE OWNED THIS ROAD OR HAD ANY RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MAINTENANCE OF THIS ROAD. MELISSA FRY: A REALIZATION THEY ARE LESS RELUCTANT TO PAY FOR NOW. NEIGHBORS SAY THEY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS BY THE CITY TO STEP MELISSA FRY, KETV NEWSWATCH 7. ROB: THE COST OF THE ROAD IS ESTIMATED AT ABOUT $95,000.

New plan to repair street still leaves residents with half the tab

Omaha Residents watched the city tear up 113th Street, north of Pacific Street, and then leave it for a year.